Cupid's Incorporated {Completed}

Cupid's Incorporated - Chapter Fifteen

The next morning, my mother left for work before I could talk to her.

After I had had time to think everything through and sleep, the guilt finally got to me. What the hell was I doing? It has been eight years since my mother had even had any chance of a love life, and now I had just ripped that opportunity out from under her. She should hate me for that. I would if I were in her blood-red nine-inch stilleto shoes.

I mean, sure, I knew the benefits of having done this. I wanted her to find love, just not with a womanizing CEO that only cared about himself. Maybe a nice doctor or lawyer to settle down with; someone with money and maturity and class. OK, so anyone but the man my mother had fallen in love with would do.

I needed therapy from this terrible ordeal.

And I knew one person I could call who would always be there for me no matter what.

Charlie was there within twenty minutes, holding six chick flicks and a box full of rich velvety cupcakes.

She smiled wanly at me, and shook the handful of movies. “I have the movies if you have the popcorn and tissues.”

I grinned at her, and together we made a nest out of cushions on my bedroom floor, straight in front of my TV. I pulled the comforter off of my bed and grabbed a box of tissues, before microwaving popcorn and adding extra butter and drizzled it over the top with caramel - our guilty pleasure.

As a last thought, I also grabbed some mint choc-chip ice-cream from the freezer and two large dessert spoons.

It wasn’t like I was in a mopey mood or anything, but sometimes a girl just needs to kick back and relax with some fatty foods and sad movies, her best friend by her side.

After picking the first movie and sliding it into the DVD slot, we sat down on the pillows and began our movie marathon.

Three bags of popcorn, two tubs of ice cream, five sodas and thirty-seven tissues later, we watched the final credits of our last movie begin to roll, and the room darkened to a pitch-black.

We all have that best friend we can cry like a baby in front of. Charlotte Wickers was mine, and that was proven by the amount of sobs I was emitting, and tears falling down my face.

We turned off the TV and turned back on the light, and that’s when I noticed that it was six in the evening. Wow, those movies had gone longer than I thought they would.

I packed everything up, and Charlie turned to me. “I need to talk to you.”

“OK…” I trailed off, worried about what this 'talk' would entail.

“I need to know what’s going on between you and Ashton. Are you friends? Business partners? Enemies? A couple? Frenemies? Friends with benefits?” The look in her eyes told me she was more enclined to believe the last one.

“I…” I trailed off as I realized that I didn’t even know what label our relationship would have. “I guess I don’t know.”

“Well, what do you want to be?” she questioned.

I looked down at my hands, knowing the answer. A couple. I wanted to be a couple with Ashton. But it was so embarrassing to admit! He was a bad-boy, rebellious player, and everyone knew that I wasn’t the kind of girl who fell for that. I couldn’t explain why Ashton was so different.

“I see,” Charlie said, without waiting for a reply. Because she was my best friend, and she knew me better than anyone. She knew what I wanted.

“I don’t want to feel that way, Charles,” I admitted. “I want to forget he exists. Our business deal is over. My mom and his dad are history! But the thing is, I kind of feel disappointed. I don’t want our partnership to end.”

“Then don’t let it!” she said excitedly, her eyes widening in excitement.

I already didn’t like where she was taking this. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, who says that your relationship should only be based on a stupid deal to keep your parents apart? Why not… I don’t know…hang out together just for the hell of it?”

I sighed, running a hand through my raven hair, and messing it up.

“I wish it was that simple, Charles, I really do. But I’m Mia Starr! I don’t fall in love with bad-boys. It’s, like, a universal rule or something.”

She gave me a pointed look. “Every rule has an exception, Mia. Maybe Ashton is yours.”

~         *         ~

I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I dialed Ashton’s number. My hands shook and my heart was beating a mile a minute as the ringing sounded.

He picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, Ashton, it’s Mia.” I cleared my throat and nervously laughed. Oh, God, I am so awkward!

“What’s wrong?”

I chuckled. “What? Something has to be wrong for me to call you?”

“Well, I just didn’t think you would willingly call me unless something was up.” My brow creased. Is that what he thought I thought of him? Before I could reply, he continued. “So, is everything OK?”

“I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to…I don’t know…get a coffee sometime?” I asked nervously. I prayed my voice didn’t betray the worry I was feeling, and nervously toyed with the hem of my shirt.

“Why? Is something up?”

I rolled my eyes. “Ashton, I just want to go out for a friendly coffee. No ulterior motives, no planning or scheming. Just two friends grabbing a coffee.”

There was a pause as he considered my proposal. “Yeah, sure. When can I meet you?”

“Half-an-hour? At the Coffee Shack?” I asked uncertainly, hoping I wasn’t interfering with anything.

“No problem, I’ll meet you there, Mia,” he told me, and I smiled a little, a blush reddening my cheeks. God, why was I getting so girly and nervous? It just wasn’t me!

I hung up and sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand down my face.

It was time to face the facts, because there was no point denying it. I was a straightforward, honest person. And that included towards myself.

So, bearing that in mind, it was time to face up to the truth.

I was falling for Ashton Williams.

~      *      ~

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